


The Great Thought Cabinet Bonanza

by hightechzombie



Category: Disco Elysium (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, New Year, mentions of Cuno the Reformed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22068844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hightechzombie/pseuds/hightechzombie
Summary: The old year is dead, long live the next year!Harry and Kim meet up to reminisce about the past and talk about the future.
Relationships: Harry Du Bois/Kim Kitsuragi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	The Great Thought Cabinet Bonanza

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Foxda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxda/gifts).



> A gift for Foxda, the greatest friend in the world <3

The year ended with a bang. Fireworks exploded in a bloom of colours and guns were fired into the night sky in acts of exuberant joy. The year that had died that night had not died quietly. 

After two minutes of exchanging toasts and congratulating each other for not kicking the bucket, the calls began coming at the precinct. A trashcan and hedge was on fire. Someone tried a homemade jetpack, resulting a burned backside and broken fence. Fights, theft, minor and major vandalism... 

It was a festive occasion alright. 

Kim’s shift was over at 3 am, when the biggest troublemakers have landed in jail or drunk themselves into oblivion. He drove on the Saint-Brune in the direction leading to the Martinaise. There were lights on the peninsula, their reflections sparkling on the lapping waves. 

He parked next to a small shack. A melancholic song played in the radio and Kim stayed to listen till the end. A quiet voice sighed about the future erasing the past like waves erase words written in sand. 

It was a nice tune. When it was over, Kim turned off the engine, fished a plastic bag from the back seat and exited the motor carriage.

The air was fresh. The breeze carried the smell of salt and rotting fish to him, what in short was often summarized as the smell of the sea. Kim was neither enamored by the smell nor by the promise of marine life, but it did put him in a nostalgic mood. Martinaise was many things: a tourist attraction, nest of criminal activity and the cradle of the unionizing workers. But to Kim it would always be the place where he pursued one of the most unusual investigations of his career.

Kim walked slowly and carefully, not trusting the unpaved path. The moon might be shining brightly tonight, but his eyesight was even worse in the dark. Nonetheless, he managed to get safely down the slope and continued at a brisker pace to their meeting place.

Even from afar, he could see that he wasn’t the first one to arrive. A lone figure was sitting on a swing, his rough voice carrying for a surprising distance. Bottles surrounded him. It seemed he had been here for a while.

“I see your extent of your soda addiction was not overstated,” said Kim, approaching the swing set.

Harry stopped singing and turned around, bright smile appearing on his face.

“Kim! You bespectacled apparition, stepping out of thin air! Yes, my so called “soda addiction” is in full swing. I’d like to say I’ve become quite the connoisseur.” 

Harry bent down to search for something in his plastic bag, before triumphantly raising two cans in the air. 

“These babies here are for you! Pick one you like. The left one is a limited edition Pops, with the taste of starfruit and gooseberry. On the right is Vin Mariane, orange with lime. Quite refreshing!”

Kim squinted at the cans, trying to gauge which of those beverages had the least toxic chemicals in them. Orange with lime sounded natural, right?

“I’ll take the Vin Mariane.”

Harry chuckled heartily and did the finger guns at him.

“As I knew you would! See, our bond is so strong, I have anticipated that this would be your choice. You can have two of those.”

Kim accepted the gift with bemusement and planted himself on the empty swing seat. 

“How are you doing, Harry?”

“Fantastic!” cheerfully exclaimed Harry. “I nearly got my apartment back, but then I got a notice that the building is going to be demolished soon. I will have to move next week. New year, new apartment!”

After a pause, Harry added:

“Maybe “fantastic” was the wrong word. I was so carried away by the elan of sharing a great-tasting beverage with you, that I just blurted out “fantastic” without meaning it. I’m okay, I guess. A firm, steady “okay” is how I would describe my situation.”

“That’s good to hear,” said Kim with a genuine smile. 

Things have been so busy lately, the two of them had precious little time to talk and reminisce. After such a long time apart, Kim was again reminded of Harry’s unique and strong personality.

“Wait a second,” said Harry and walked over a few paces to turn on his boombox. “Three o’clock in the morning is SadFM time.”

A song was playing, almost a twin of the one that Kim had listened to in his motor carriage.

“Now,” said Harry. “Now it’s perfect. Exactly as I pictured it.”

“Two partners watching the sea at night,” said Kim, “swinging on a children’s set...”

“Yep,” said Harry with satisfaction.

The melancholic tunes washed over them. After a few moments of watching the sea, Kim remarked:

“That glistening dark thing, just above the shoreline…”

“Yeah, I recognized it. My metal horse, submerged under the waves. Free estate for all the crabs and fish on this lovely shore.”

“I heard your precinct got a new car.”

“That they did! Everyone was so happy, I’d like to think they have forgiven and forgotten my small fiasco last year.”

Scratching his chin, Harry added dubiously:

“Although considering the fact that they still don’t let me drive any of them… maybe they haven’t forgiven me fully.”

“Give them some time.”

“Sure, I’ll give them all the time in world!”

Harry toasted to Kim and they both drank a sip. The Vin Mariane turned out to be an alright beverage, although unfamiliar on his tongue.

“How are you doing, Kim? How is your Coupris Kineema doing?”

Kim was touched that Harry managed to get the model of his motor carriage right.

“It’s doing fine, thank you. Changed the wheels a month ago, had the oil changed. A few days ago had a minor scare that the motor was not doing well, but it turned out a few twigs caught caught under the hood.” Kim patted his pockets and fished out a small figurine. “I also found this guy, caught in that mess. No idea how he got there.”

Harry reverently took the metal soldier in his arms, examining him in the moonlight.

“This means something,” said Harry.

“Like what?” 

“Dunno,” said Harry, casually pocketing the figurine. “I have to think on it for a while.”

Kim sighed quietly, in a mix of exasperation and fondness. Harry was a deeply unique person. 

Something rustled in bushes. Kim turned around to see something skitter away. Nature in combination with the dark always made Kim uncomfortable, in a way that the city at night never did.

“Might have been one of your cryptids,” said Kim.

Harry was looked absent-mindedly at the sea, paying no mind to creatures of the night.

“Oh, what did you say?” Harry said, startled from his revelry. “No, didn’t sound like them. They are more graceful than that. You wouldn’t hear them unless they talked to you directly.”

Harry’s insistence that the Insulindian Phasmid’s existence was a proven scientific fact had become something of a running joke. At least Kim preferred to think that it was a running joke, because originally he was seriously worried about Harry being a victim of head trauma or him dipping once again into drug abuse. Particularly drug abuse sounded awfully realistic, especially since Cuno had insisted on seeing the same “strange shit”.

“How is Cuno doing?”

“Fantastic!” said Harry. “And this time, I really mean it. He got real brains in that small skull of his. Pretty good at dissembling machinery. He’s learning what it takes to be a real policeman.”

Kim decided not to ask whether Cuno was also any good at assembling the machinery back together. It was welcome news Cuno was integrating into the police community without major incidents, and even better news that none of this was going to ever become his problem.

Cynicism aside, Kim had to admit that Harry seemed to prosper in the role as a mentor. This development was in fact most shocking result of last year’s investigation - Harry and Cuno have become partners in crime. Each time Harry talked with a loving twinkle in his eye about the “fine young man”, Kim struggled to reconcile that picture with the foulmouthed bundle of menace that he had encountered in the days before. Nonetheless, even violent drug-addicted minors had the right to a childhood and the chance lead a law-abiding life.

He remembered the time when Harry came to visit him in the hospital with Cuno in tow. Kim had been nervous about the kid being anywhere close to his intravenal tubes, but it seems the worry was in vain. Having assisted a successful investigation, Cuno’s chest puffed with pride, making it seem like he could topple over at any moment.

“Don’t worry, shifty eyes,” said Cuno conspiratorially. “I had my eye on your partner’s back the entire time.”

After that, Harry made Cuno apologize for being accidentally racist. Kim accepted the apology on auto pilot. He was so deeply in shock, he hadn’t even noticed the complete lack of vulgar language coming from Cuno’s mouth. The delinquent was truly on good behaviour that day.

“Well, it’s great you two are getting along. He will surely become a police officer with your assistance,” said Kim.

Harry nodded. If he noticed Kim’s inability to say “good police officer”, then he didn’t comment on it. 

Kim found himself sipping at the soda again. In fact, it was half empty already. For a few seconds, Kim entertained the notion of developing a soda habit himself, since the fresh, sweet drink was starting to grow on him. 

The thoughts of fancy were dispelled as soon as Kim remembered the costs for an average dentist visit and the regular scandals about the makeup of the beloved soft drinks. Kim shuddered to think with what bill the soda obsession would present Harry’s body with eventually. 

If it was anyone else, Kim would be staging an intervention right now, but considering Harry’s past with hallucinogens, alcohol and god knows what else… Well, death would come for all of them in the end.

“How long have you been waiting for me?” asked Kim.

“A few hours. But I wasn’t sitting here all the time. I have walked over to Lilienne’s, congratulated her and the kids with the breaking of the New Year, gave them a few sodas.”

“Huh. Was she surprised you came over?”

“Nah, she’s used to me popping by.”

Kim nursed his drink, trying to find a way to ask delicately about their relationship. But before he could come up with a diplomatic way to approach the topic, Harry began talking himself:

“You know, I think we have something special there. She doesn’t even try to smell my breath anymore, just trusts me that I didn’t drink that day. We just talk. Go for a stroll occasionally.”

Kim nodded. That was good, actually.

“I’ve been thinking about asking her out on a date. Proper date. Thought about renting a boat and going out to the sea, but figured it was a bad idea, considering her husband… you know.” 

“Then I thought about inviting her to a cafe, the fancy kind in the city. But it’s kind of far away and I don’t have a car. And what about her kids? She’d worry about them if we stay away too long.”

“So, I had a new plan.” Harry turned towards Kim, unusually serious. “I would take a picnic basket, my boombox, blanket and some candles. You can imagine the whole deal - nice food, romantic music, appropriate lightning.”

Yeah, Kim could imagine it well. 

“I prepared it all. It was a nice autumn evening, perfect for a trip to the shore. I walked over to Lilienne’s shack and… just walked past it. Went to the shore, had a picnic alone and then went home.”

“You lost your nerve,” said Kim with sympathy. 

“That’s what it would seem like, but... I just realized it was a bad idea. We just don’t fit, you know? I have a hole and she has a hole.” Harry tapped at his chest. “But even if we vaguely fit the hole, it doesn’t make us right for each other. I was just trying to replace my wife, but it wasn’t right.” 

Harry’s voice didn’t quiver when he mentioned his wife. This was a first.

“So I did some thinking. Mostly, I thought about: “If anything was possible in the world, what would I do?” Turns out, I would do a lot of stupid things, like trying to become a superstar or a vigilante, fighting the rich and defending the poor. But there were some decent ideas in the mix, too.”

“What kind of ideas?” asked Kim.

“Well,” Harry suddenly lost the trail of thought. “Just ideas. General ideas. Uhm, good ideas, I think. But now I’m not so sure. No, I think this was a bad idea.”

A little confused, Kim looked at Harry. It seemed like the man was hyperventilating.

“What was I thinking?! No, I wasn’t thinking. Actually, I thought too much. Can you imagine Kim, I’ve spent months - months! - nursing this thought and now I don’t think it was a good idea.”

“If you thought about it for so long, it can’t be that bad?” said Kim. Indeed, Harry had certain flightiness to him, so if he thought for months about something, it must be a heavy topic indeed.

“Oh, it’s really bad,” laughed Harry breathlessly. “It’s the worst idea of all.”

Kim stared at Harry, who was fidgeting with his bottle.

“Forget it. Hell, I’m going to forget it immediately as well,” said Harry. 

After a pause, Harry added:

“Nope, shit, I can’t forget it. I think I’m stuck with it. Alright I’m gonna tell you, okay? Just promise not to judge me.”

“I’ll try not to,” said Kim.

“Okay,” said Harry and kissed him. 

His beard was scratchy and it was over in a second. Kim had no time to react.

“There was that!” exclaimed Harry and jumped to his feet. “Now I make my disappearance.”

Harry began hurriedly collecting the empty bottles and cans that were scattered on the ground. 

“You missed one there,” pointed out Kim.

“Oh, thanks!”

Harry gathered all the cans, then went over to collect him boombox, hefting it over his shoulder. He did the finger guns at Kim as farewell.

“I guess I need to work on my disappearances, right, Kim? It was a real mess. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” said Kim.

Harry finger gunned him again and then quickly stalked away, blasting SadFM in his wake. 

Kim stared at the soda can for a while. This was not what he had expected to happen tonight. 

Suddenly, he remembered something.

“Dammit,” said Kim and pulled out the scarf from the plastic bag. He intended to hand it over to Harry, but forgot it in the commotion.

Soda can in one hand and the scarf in the other, it was all a bit too much for Kim. What should he do? There were some huge choices in front of him. Maybe Kim didn’t have to decide a thing. 

Kim thought about it for a while, sitting on the swing. He was beginning to understand why this type of pondering made Harry insane. 

“Well, fuck it,” said Kim and threw the can into the sea. It had a beautiful long arch before it submerged in the waves. 

This really wasn’t like Kim, but who could fault him? One minor act of vandalism was perfectly fine on New Year and he had to get rid of that toxic sugar drink before he got addicted to it. 


End file.
